India, Japan call for UN reforms

Published September 28, 2008

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 27: India joined Japan on Friday in calling for more determined efforts to reform the United Nations as the two Asian powers pitched for permanent seats in the Security Council.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh criticised scant progress made since world leaders decided three years ago to forge an “agenda for early and meaningful reform” of the world body.

“The composition of the Security Council needs to change to reflect contemporary realities of the 21st century,” he said. “We must acknowledge frankly that there has been little progress on the core elements of the reform agenda.”

Singh then called for “more determined efforts to revitalise the General Assembly to enable it to fulfil its rightful role as the principal deliberative organ of the United Nations,” he said.

On Thursday, Japan’s new prime minister Taro Aso emphasised “the absolute imperative” of council reform, in his address to the General Assembly.

“We must bring about the early reform of the Security Council through an expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent memberships,” he said.

Aso, who replaced Yasuo Fukuda, was the first Japanese prime minister to speak at the General Assembly since Koizumi came in 2005 to pitch for a Security Council seat as part of a push for global reform.

The UN General Assembly decided last week to begin inter-governmental talks on expanding the powerful Security Council by February 28.

Japan and India joined Germany and Brazil in 2005 in a strong push to be in the council as permanent members, along with two African countries, but without veto rights.

But their bid failed after it ran into strong opposition from China and the United States as well as from regional rivals such as Italy, Pakistan and Argentina.—AFP

Opinion

Revival? For whom?

Revival? For whom?

Numerous sets of numbers, not quoted by govt sources, suggest that things are not as dazzling as claimed by those who run the country.

Editorial

Premature alarm
Updated 20 Feb, 2025

Premature alarm

Improvement in headline inflation gives policymakers chance to fix investment policies, implement structural reforms.
Forsaken province
20 Feb, 2025

Forsaken province

AND the endless cycle of violence continues. The brutal killing on Tuesday night of seven Punjab-bound passengers in...
In poor health
20 Feb, 2025

In poor health

THE absence of decent and affordable healthcare in the country continues to ruin lives. An example of this is ...
Out of control
Updated 19 Feb, 2025

Out of control

AS bodies continue to fall in Kurram despite a state-sanctioned ceasefire, one wonders how long local militants’...
Hollow words
19 Feb, 2025

Hollow words

IT is not uncommon for politicians to resort to the use of hyperbole in order to boost their public standing. ...
Migration matters
19 Feb, 2025

Migration matters

THE grass, it seems, did appear greener on the other side to millions of people as evidenced by the latest UN ...